Horsham, Victoria, Australia
December 4, 2009

InterGrain Pty Ltd has taken all the desirable qualities of widely grown Australian Hard wheat - EGA Bonnie Rock, to a new level with the release of King Rock.

Developed by Dr Robyn McLean and the InterGrain team, King Rock has been launched as an official EGA Bonnie Rock replacement.

Through a backcrossing strategy and utilising EGA Bonnie Rock’s distinguishing attributes, Dr Mclean and her team have bred superior disease resistance and quality into the new variety.

InterGrain Commercial Manager, Tress Walmsley, said King Rock has maintained:

• the excellent high yielding, high grain quality characteristics of WA’s premium AH variety;

and added,

• a superior rust package.

King Rock has triple rust resistance in WA. It has fully effective resistance to known WA strains of leaf rust, stem rust and stripe rust.

King Rock has moderate (MR) resistance to yellow spot, is moderately susceptible to susceptible (MS-S) to septoria nodorum blotch and is susceptible to very susceptible to septoria tritici blotch.

Tress said, “For years EGA Bonnie Rock has set the quality benchmark as the best WA AH variety.

“King Rock will increase the reputation of WA wheat. Samples of this line have been supplied to the marketers for end product promotion.”

Growers may already have seen King Rock in InterGrain trials tested as IGW2975 or WAWHT2975.

King Rock is a white-chaffed, bearded, mid-season and semi-dwarf wheat with strong straw.

Growers will find its growth habit and maturity are almost identical to EGA Bonnie Rock.

It has similar grain receival characteristics to EGA Bonnie Rock - including susceptibility to pre harvest sprouting.

“King Rock has recently been classified as AH by the Variety Classification Panel,” said Tress.

In the 2008 NVT trials, King Rock yields are similar to or better than EGA Bonnie Rock in Agzones 1, 2 and 4.

InterGrain field trials also indicate King Rock would match Bonnie Rock yields in Agzone 3, however King Rock was not included in last year’s NVT for Agzone 3.

NuSeed WA Sales and Production Agronomist, Glenn Lendon, said King Rock seed production had been grown under the stringent Sureseed QA system.

To avoid contamination, seed grown for 2010 release had been sown into paddocks that had been pasture the previous three years.

Independent in-field crop inspections had been conducted by AgWest inspectors.

Grain samples collected at harvest had been submitted for germination and purity tests.

Protein profiling would also be conducted after harvest to ensure buyers of this new variety received varietal purity.

He said harvest and transport equipment would be cleaned before use and King Rock seed would be made available to growers and seed retailers via:

• EDSCO on 08 9045-4036 or by;
• InterGrain/NuSeed’s online trading site located at www.seedpool.com.au 

Tress said King Rock is protected by Plant Breeders Rights and attracts an end point royalty (EPR) of $3.00/tone, GST exclusive.

Website: http://www.intergrain.com

Published: December 4, 2009